To start out, I am a 24 year old female. Had a very athletic childhood; however, I am currently overweight, but dieting. I have had panic attacks since I was 17. I have been on Zoloft, Lexapro, Zoloft again, Celexa, and once again back to Zoloft. I would always get slight tachycardia with panic attacks, but that wasn't usually my "main symptom". This summer, when switching back to Zoloft from Celexa, I had an episode of Tachycardia like I never felt before. I was in Florida with my friend visiting her family and in an unfamiliar environment. I was a smoker at that time. My heart started beating steadily, but I felt I couldn't control it. No chest pain, no dizziness, no trouble breathing, nothing. I did feel anxious before it happened. So I sat down and took some deep breaths, had someone call the paramdeics because i thought I was dying, but before the ambulance came, my heart rate lowered. So I didn't go with the paramedics. So I went to sit back down at the restaurant and an elderly couple was sitting next to us. She asked me what was wrong, so I told her. She continued to tell me that tachycardia is how she "died" and they had to bring her back to life and give her a pace maker and ativan. Gee thanks lady...guess what started to happen again, my heart started racing. This time I went to the ER. The doctor listened to my heart for two seconds, told me it was related to my previous panic attacks and let me go. A week later the same thing happened after smoking a cigarette. I felt a little panicky, then my heart started racing, even when I calmed myself down, it was still racing, same exact as last time. It slowed down, then started up again. And by the time the paramedics got there, my heart rate was about 90, again, same as last time. This time they did an EKG and sent me home with some Xanax. It happened one more time, but that time I took a Xanax and calmed down pretty quiickly. The episodes continued a couple times in the next few months and stopped. I stopped smoking after the second trip to the ER. I was okay for a couple months after that. Then the tachycardia happened again. This time I was smoking again. I was in a stressfull situation and drinking heavily one to two nights a week. The tachycardia came after a night of drinking. I once again went to the ER, the EKG was fine, they sent me home with more Xanax. I didn't see my regular doctor because my health insurance was in transition. A week later I had another EKG because I was having chest pains and coughing, it ended up being bronchitis.
Finally I got to see my doctor. He did YET another EKG and it was fine (I think that made like 5 total for the year). I had a holter monitor for 24 hours. Oh in addition, I was having what I felt like skipped heartbeats. Some I felt like I had to actually catch my breath. I also have very bad acid reflux. Holter was fine, they did not find anything. And nothing happened , of course,, not even a feeling of a skipped heartbeat. A week after the holter, I had what i felt was a panic attack and then tachychardia and it felt a bit hard to breath, but i get that feeling with my acid reflux. I had an echo done last week and everything was fine. That would be the second echo I have had, one other when I was 17.
SO I was okay after that. I felt really good. The feeling of skipped heart beats have returned a few days ago. And today I had a horrible epiosde of tachycardia. I was driving and a I felt a bit anxious. Then I got this really horrible feeling in my chest and my heartrate started rising. I have this bad habit of checking my pulse, and I really think this actually encourages my heart to go haywire. I felt nauseous, my palms were sweaty, I felt a little hard to breath. Then I burped and a whole bunch of acid came up. The whole episode lasted probably like five minutes. I took a Xanax, a .25. I still felt kinda anxious afterwards, but I was scared.
I wanted to note that these episodes tend to happen during my period, right before, or within a week after. Could this have anything to do with it. I appreciate everyone who took the time to read such a long post. I was just in tears when I first started writing this,. I am so lost and so scared. My doctor told me the other day that I should record what I ate and what I did when I get this episodes and maybe if it continues then he will send me to a cardiologist.. Oh I want to add that I had what I thought was a Decaf Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts and immediately after I felt a little funny as far as my anxiety goes. Then the episode happened an hour later.
If anyone has any input or anything I would really appreciate it.